Allegory of Papacy

This drawing, dated by Petrucci between 1680 and 1690 who identifies this as an allegory of Papacy, was possibly executed by Gaulli for a printed illustration. Alternatively, it could illustrate the Roman soldier Longinus, portrayed here on a horseback, against a landscape with the temple of Jerusalem. Longinus' veneration revived in Rome during the Seicento, as testified by the 1628 monumental sculpture in the crossing of Saint Peter's executed by Bernini, Gaulli's mentor and main champion.

We are grateful to Francesco Petrucci for confirming the attribution to Gaulli from a digital photograph.